Robson's notably unpoetic direction doesn't help, either; yet few Hollywood films ever had such ambition.
Comment
01/26/06
Bedlam (1946)
87
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:15
Fresh:13
Rotten:2
Average Rating:6.5/10
Runtime: 79 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: An intriguing change of pace from chillmaster Val Lewton about an innocent girl imprisoned in a ghastly 18th-century insane asylum. Nell, an aspiring young actress, rejects the patronage of a... [More]
Reviews for Bedlam
1 - 15 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Top CriticThe film's single most resonant image -- that of the grasping arms of the Bedlam inmates straining to reach through the bars of their cells -- has inspired countless other movies.
05/24/03
Top CriticLewton had something to say. Perhaps inevitably, he found less interesting ways of saying it over the course of nine films in a short four years.
10/22/09
The feminist-political fable is couched in absorbing grey zones
09/05/09
Another strong chiller from brilliant producer Val Lewton.
11/14/07
Top CriticNicholas Musaraca's excellent cinematography contributes a number of fine effects, and there's a strange and witty aside on the invention of movies.
11/14/07
As a sociological tract it's right on the money, as a psychological thriller it wanders at times too far away from the money.
10/31/06
Notable only for a nuanced performance by Boris Karloff.
09/30/06
While the film has a tendency to wander into unadulterated Hollywoodisms in spots, it is a generally straight-forward and imaginative estimate of a two-century-old sociological theme.
03/25/06
Top CriticA fine feature in the Val Lewton series for RKO is not so much a horror film, though it does contain one of Karloff's more deliciously sadistic performances.
02/06/06
One of Val Lewton's final films, this collaboration with Boris Karloff is also one of his most tragically underrated.
10/06/05
No review available.
08/01/05
Creepy doings with Karloff amok in asylum.
11/01/04
Last gasp in the famed Lewton horrors. Frankly, pretty dull.
08/11/03
Creepy, atmospheric, yet underrated Val Lewton thriller.
10/09/02
1 - 15 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube 
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds